After the reveal that Missy is indeed the Master, it feels like it’s been a long wait to find out what her dastardly plan is with the Cybermen that she has been patiently incubating in St. Paul’s. As we have seen in the promotional photos they seem to be fairly benign, posing for photographs with what appears to be the general public – but all is not as it seems. Missy, as we know from her previous incarnation, is a batty as a fruitcake, the Cybermen are not really loveable metal droids who strut about taking selfies, and not all the on lookers are completely gullible either.
The extra ten minutes running time aren’t wasted in this second half of the finale; time is taken to introduce the new roles, of which there are a few, and set the scene before the action kicks in. As hinted by Dr Chang last week UNIT have been keeping a watchful eye on 3W so it’s no surprise to see Kate Stewart and her team sweep in and swiftly take control of the situation. Jemma Redgrave and Ingrid Oliver are as impeccable as ever as Kate and Osgood, who is rather more self-assured than when last we saw her. We’re also introduced to Sanjeev Bhaskar who plays Colonel Ahmed, a rather traditional soldier – you can just imagine how well that goes down with the Doctor.
The bulk of the story is however with the core four, the Doctor, Clara, Missy and Danny. They all have a difficult journey that is intertwined with one another in some way, and again the actors each play their part so well it’s hard to praise any of them above the other. Although perhaps not as sinister as parts of
Dark Water, the theme of death and afterlife is nevertheless carried forward and explored in more depth. The horror is generally presented in a different way this time round; I’d say it’s more visual and menacing. In particular, a few of the scenes will be scarier for some of the youngest viewers this week - Rachel Talalay’s incredible direction alone makes it creepy, but adding Murray Gold’s spine chilling score over it will most likely spook them.
There is plenty for older fans to also enjoy too, from spotting the subtle changes in the opening credits, to the mind games between Missy and the other characters, and of course the conclusion of this season’s arcs. There’s been a long game at play this year and for once Moffat has kept it simple, there will be some who may be disappointed at how simple it has been, but it works for me. I do have a minor grumble here and there about
Death in Heaven, I think the character arcs are more satisfyingly dealt with than a couple of the episode’s events for example. Petty quibbles aside though, I still feel this is one of the best finale’s the show has had, it’s an emotional story that’s explored loyalty, love, betrayal, trust, death and hope over the course of both episodes.
Death in Heaven airs on Saturday 8th November at 8.00pm on BBC 1 and BBC 1 HD in the UK, and at 9pm on BBC America. Below are a few dialogue teasers to see you through until then. Don't forget to come back to vote in our poll after the episode and let us know what you thought.
"Oh go on, crack a smile. I wanna see if your eyebrows fall off"
"The Nethersphere is just a cool name we came up with"
"I thought we were the same. When we grew up we weren't"
"I thought she might be the Master, regenerated into female form?"
"Never trust a hug, it’s just a way to hide your face"
"You left this behind on one of your previous attempts"
"I'm a target of strategic value"
"Well look at me, I'm bananas"
"You are a good Dalek"
"Ask anyone who knows me, I am an incredible liar"
About the Author - Sandi
Sandi is part of the Senior Staff at SpoilerTV having been a contributor from back in the Lost days of DarkUFO, and who now writes previews for Banshee, The Musketeers, Atlantis, and other BBC shows. She also enjoys watching and commenting on other shows such as Sons of Anarchy, Hannibal, Game of Thrones and Elementary.
